From the Orlando Magic-Memphis Grizzlies trade, to Stephen A. Smith getting exposed for the nth time, we list the awesome and terrible of the past week.
LIKES
LIKE 1 – The Magic-Grizzlies trade
The Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies made the first trade of the off-season, with the latter unloading their No. 2 scorer Desmond Bane in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and one first-round pick swap.
I like the deal for both teams. The Magic need offense, threes in particular, and they addressed it nicely, while the Grizzlies acquire assets for further trades – it’s also apparent that the Ja Morant-Desmond Bane backcourt has ran its course.
LIKE 2 – Stephen A. Smith getting clowned on
Stephen A. Smith was in attendance for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, and with all the intensity of the game, he was caught playing Solitaire on his phone. The internet proceeded to roast him, though no one’s actually surprised.
Why? Because he is a fake sports analyst, a certified ‘boxscore watcher’ who says things for clout and knows little about the things he covers. The man represents everything that’s wrong with ESPN, and has kickstarted the downfall of the once lauded network.
It’s always fun to see him get exposed, whether it’s forgetting player names and/or where they play for, having ‘main character syndrome,’ or not paying attention to games because he’ll just take the most obvious angles.
LIKE 3 – Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s big games
Whatever you may feel about Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese, they are the two biggest names in the WNBA – whoever’s third between A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, or Brianna Stewart isn’t even close.
Clark and Reese each dropped big games in the past two days. The former scored 32 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, and seven threes as she and the Indiana Fever hand the New York Liberty its first loss of the season, while the latter posted her first career-triple double with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, alongside three steals and two blocks to beat the Connecticut Sun and halt their two-game skid.
DISLIKES
DISLIKE 1 – Scott Foster being “The Extender”
Let’s get this out of the way: The Thunder won Game 4 because they are a great team on both sides of the ball, not because of questionable officiating. Besides, not all missed calls were via Foster and it happened against each side, just like most days.
That said, Games 1-3 had 45, 59, and 52 free-throws combined, respectively, while Game 4 jumped to 71, just as ‘The Extender’ showed up. Uptick in free throws has become his trademark, and he lived up to it… again.
DISLIKE 2 – Rafi Reavis as Best Player of the Game
Rafi Reavis being a solid rotation player in the PBA at age 47 is remarkable, although it also says a lot about the league’s talent pool, but I digress.
On June 13th against Talk N’ Text Tropang Giga, with playoff implications on the line, the longtime veteran put up four points, six rebounds (6 OFF), and one block across 12 quality minutes, helping the Magnolia Hotshots collect an 88-83 victory and earning himself Best Player of the Game honors. He made a big impact, but whoever’s in charge of picking the award is either imagining things or a brilliant troll.
Reavis’s teammate Zavier Lucero scored 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, alongside eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block – that’s a full line on efficient shooting.
